


Further Persuasion

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Community: comment_fic, F/M, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-04 01:17:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5314577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe knows he's in trouble the moment he sees Caitlin</p>
            </blockquote>





	Further Persuasion

**Author's Note:**

> Theme: numbers  
> Prompt: any, any/any. Age is just a number

Joe knows he's in trouble the second he answers the door and sees Caitlin standing there, arms crossed over her chest, lips pursed, an expression on her face that up until now he's only seen in STAR  Labs and even then only when Barry or Cisco have done something to piss her off. When she speaks, her tone of voice matches her expression. "We need to talk."

She's obviously not taking no for an answer if the way she pushes past him is any indication but he still tries, parrying with, "Barry and Iris will be home any minute..."

He knows it's the wrong thing to say when she drops her bag and coat on the couch and turns a laser like glare on him. He's seen that at STAR Labs too; he suddenly understands why it makes Cisco and Barry fold like a cheap suit. "Nice try." Her tone indicates it's anything but. "They're going to a movie tonight.  It starts in-" She checks her watch. "-Five minutes." He looks down and when he glances back up at her again, she has one eyebrow raised. "Anything else you want to lie about?"

Joe takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. "No."

She blinks, like he's surprised her. "OK then." Her eyes dart from side to side, almost nervously, then she locks her gaze with his. "We need to talk."

"You already said that." Her nostrils flare in indignation and he wants to laugh, but that could be because of nerves. He also knows that it would definitely be the wrong thing to do. "And yes. We do." 

"I kissed you." Caitlin steps closer to him. "You kissed me back."

Joe can't take his eyes off her and at this distance, his palms itch with the desire to pull her close and kiss her again. "Yeah," he says quietly, "I did."

She nods. "And it was good." Something flares in her eyes and she bites her lip. "I mean..."

This time he gives into the urge to laugh, chuckles gently, fondly. "Yes," he says, eyes finding her lips, lingering there.  "It was."

"So why the silent treatment? Running the other way when you see me coming?" He recognises the tone of her voice for what it is: hurt now, all traces of anger gone. It's that knowledge, the knowledge that he's the reason for it, that makes him sigh. 

"Because, Caitlin..." His hands, as if of their own accord, reach out and find her shoulders, kneading there gently.  "My last relationship... my last proper relationship... ended when you were in kindergarten." 

Indignation makes a prompt return. "Grade school, actually." Surprise flares through him as he realises that she's actually done the math, and he almost misses her her follow up of, "And what does that have to do with anything anyway? Age is just a number."

She's taken a step closer to him, his hands are still on her shoulders and Joe is finding it harder and harder to remember why this is a bad idea. "There's a difference of nearly twenty years between our numbers," he points out and she actually rolls her eyes. 

"Joe, I like you," she tells him, blunt and to the point and his heart quickens like he's some damn teenage fool, not a fifty something man who knows better. "And if we're talking about numbers, one is the loneliest... I know what it's like to be lonely, to lose the person you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with. I did it twice." He waits for the memory of Ronnie to bring tears to her eyes, make her look away from him but she holds his gaze, steady and true. "I think we could be good together," she tells him. "And I'm not going to walk away from that because of a number." 

"Caitlin..." Against his will, he can feel himself weakening. Maybe she senses that because she closes the distance between them, rising on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his. 

It's a gentle kiss, nonetheless he feels it all the way down to his toes and he acts on instinct, pulling her close to him, opening his mouth to hers and letting himself get lost in the touch, the feel, the sensation of her. He doesn't know how much later it is when the need to breathe has him pulling away  and he rests his forehead against hers, loving the slightly breathless smile that he sees on her face. 

"So I take it I've talked you around then?" Her smile turns impish as her fingers play with the buttons of his shirt. "Or do you need further persuasion?"

Joe feels an answering smile spreading across his face and he doesn't blink as he lowers his head again. "Further persuasion." 


End file.
